Author Archives: crayten

Travel

Welcome to Thailand: Phuket Edition

Now for Phuket, I figure this is the best time as any to bring up Thai women. Thailand is a huge destination for men being that you can easily find a companion to travel with you. Of course, you have to pay (the employer for their missed time at work and the food they happen to eat while in your company), but I hear they can be great tour guides as well.  Regardless, Phuket (more in particular Patong Beach) is a giant party, a small New Orleans. A great place to check out a Go-Go bar or just relax on the beach. There are also the infamous Tuk-Tuks (with four wheels) and plenty more shopping to do. The big attraction at Phuket is the bars. Most of them have hostesses and dancing girls to get the crowd. I also found a few men dressed in drag and really getting into the dancing stages. So more or less, no matter your interests, when in Phuket, you can find it.

I took it easy after all the craziness in Bangkok. I drank a little, checked out the hotspots and spent a lot of time on the beach day and night. Phuket was awesome, but there’s no real culture to see. Like I mentioned, it’s a great destination for drinking and having a blast. So if you are looking for a great party after some traveling, Phuket should be the next stop.

Lastly, don’t forget to get that fish massage, it’s a “Must Try.”

 

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Travel

Welcome to Thailand: Part 2

Next are the sites! The architecture is amazing. Honestly, I have never seen buildings that can even match (yet) the ones in Thailand. They shine brightly in the sunlight and have all sorts of intricate designs and artwork. It was all very eyecatching.

Royal Palace

Royal Palace

When in Bangkok, the must sees are Wat Pho, and the Royal Palace (see the previous part 1. The first and last images are the royal palace, the second photo is wat pho). Just don’t misjudge the actual size of the Royal Palace, the grounds are HUGE. It took about half the day to explore. There is also the giant reclining Buddha (no photos because it was sooo dark…)!

While paroosing the streets, there was this super friendly bike rental guy (who coincidentally had no more bikes to rent) that was very adamant about visiting the “Lucky Buddha” as well the Chinese Market. I didn’t get the chance to swing by either, but I am sure they are great places to visit.

Royal Palace

Royal Palace

Getting around can be pretty easy. The bus network is quite extensive but traffic is always pretty tight and the pollution is pretty bad, so take care! Usually on the buses they have a lady with a box who will collect your fare. Bicycles aren’t a bad idea, if you can actually find one before they are all gone, just be careful because the roads and side walks are always super packed. Of course, I can’t forget the ever-popular three wheeled terror truck. “Tuk-Tuk?” No I don’t want to ride your “Tuk-Tuk.” Tuk-Tuks are EVERYWHERE. These guys are like your super taxi drivers of Thailand. Think of the movie Taxi, and these guys are the spitting image of the crazy Marseillan driver.  Usually they have seats in the truck bay, but there is the occassional seatless joyride. Most tourists take them, but I enjoyed the walking. I’d say, at least ride once for the experience.

Infamous Tuk Tuk

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Lessons Learned

Lesson 347:

Learning appropriate driving etiquette is very very important. When seeing someone fix their hair during a green light, you should let them continue. Even if it means you must sit through the next light. Hair preparation takes precedence on the roads. Texting is also quite a valid reason to be allowed to sit through an entire green light. Remember, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

P.S. Lessons learned in various countries do not apply to the U.S…….. sometimes.

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Food, Travel

Welcome to Thailand: Part 1

So usually I talk about Japan, but today we will take a bit of a detour. Recently I went to Thailand and got the opportunity to see Bangkok and an island known as Phuket (pronounced pu-ket). The basics: Food is spicy, sites are astounding, the sales vendors pushy, and the women super friendly.

 Thailand is a super awesome place to visit with an assortment of fresh fruits, foods, and activities. You can get coconuts on the corner, durian at a cafe, and mango from the outdoor markets. Be careful of the curry, if you try it, save it for the last day of your travels there. Otherwise you may not have a mouth for the remainder of your trip. To say the least I was quite happy, seeing that food and I are super best friends. There’s plenty to try and it is quite easy to find something you are comfortable with. If you are more daring, there is a surplus to try depending on the region you visit.

 Outside of the food there were hundreds if not thousands of outdoor vendors selling various products,… all made in Thailand of course. More than likely the products were the defective ones that didn’t pass the inspection, but who cares when you can get most of the things for under five dollars. This brings up another important thing, haggling is a must! They always price it higher, for that unsuspecting tourist. You can surely get them to a price you find more reasonable. Shopping the market is also a good idea because it helps you get a feel for how low you really can go! Not all the vendors try for the same price so asking “How much?” can be a great guide for when you go to buy later. Remember, always start asking lower than the price you really want. Between the haggling and the exchange rate, it’s easy to buy more than your suitcase can handle.

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Les Pensées en Francais

Salut mes chers amis!

Alors, je trouve qu’il n’y a pas trop des personnes qui lit mon site. Est-ce qu’il une tragedie? Pas vraiment. En fait, je me n’inquiet pas, pas de tout. De plus, il existe mes amis qui ne parlent pas l’anglais. Je suis desole, terriblement. Depuis j’ai quitte la France, j’ai arrete d’utiliser le Francais. Mais ici, au Japon, je m’est recontre quelqu’un de la Congo. Son Francais est un peu plus rapide (de plus son accent est difficile) mais j’aime bien l’opportunite de parler Francais au Japon. Chaque jour j’etudie comme un fou en Japonais. Je trouve que la tete a les difficultes a cause du Kanji. Je peux parler un peu et je peux lis aussi mais le truc est qu’ils sont differents. Les choses que je peux lire ne sont pas les choses que je peux dire. Un peu difficile de comprendre, n’est-ce pas? Heh, mois aussi, j’ai laisse perplexe. En verite, je suis pas certain que je vais reussir d’apprendre le Japonais. J’espere que je me suis tellement trompe.

En tout cas. Je vais essaye d’ecrire un petit peu plus en Francais pour tout mes amis qui voudraient ecouter de mes aventures! Bon, a tout a l’heure.

P.S. Si j’ai fait des erreurs grave,… dis-moi!

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Lessons Learned

Lesson 346

More On Driving in Japan:

The Japanese Police:

Please use caution when driving. Blue lights mean go, but be cautious. Yellow lights mean stop. Red lights mean stop. Remember, do as the Japanese do.

Typical Driver:

What’s a Blue light? Yellow light, move it or I’ll cream you. Red light, oh *$#@ was that a pedestrian?

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Complicated

Facebook, huh?

So I know a lot of my friends are endeared to facebook. As much as they are to text messages and other sources of contact. This article pretty much sums up everything nicely. I don’t often use facebook because of several of the problem reasons listed. I have always been one for direct contact, even a phone call is better than dueling it out over textified madness. Why is it that people have taken to these methods of communication? Sure there are plenty of benefits, but I feel the cons outweigh the pros. Opinions? How about the article? Check it out at Wall Street Journal.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204660604574370450465849142.html

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